Increases cancer risk, reduces cancer risk..... Which is it?
I think as with anything moderation is the key. I drink a cup of mate tea about once a day. I don't think I need to be worried. I hope not.
Thanks for posting the article. I'll keep an eye out for more articles about it.

Looking over the info, I would hazard a guess that cancer risk from consumption of yerba mate is linked to other factors that predispose an individual to oral cavity and esophageal cancers and is therefore a secondary, not primary causal factor. These other factors may include tobacco use/second-hand exposure, acute and chronic air and water pollutant exposure, family and ethnic genetics, long-term nutritional status, age and other lifestyle factors (diet, sleep, exercise) that generally affect cancer risk, and specific factors related to yerba mate production, consumption rate and product adulteration.

Generally the Cancer risk for Yerba is the same of all teas. The main concern is the Temprature that the drink is served at. Recently it has come up on the news a few times. Both Yerba and Tea show cancer fighting properties but the high heat increases the risk of oral cancer. Whatcha gonna do? I've refused to give up hot tea...it gets me going.

They have said in the news lately about cancer of the throat from having your tea to hot, but I am not sure about it.

On the other hand World Tea News reported a study indicating that tea drinking may decrease the risk of breast cancer. The study, conducted at the Moffitt Cancer Center, was published in Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. The research team observed that participants who consumed three or more cups of tea per day had a "37 percent reduced breast cancer risk when compared with women reporting no tea consumption."

Though research must continue to occur in order to support the many and varied health claims related to tea, it's nevertheless striking that positive research results are pouring in from all over the globe. I think we're just beginning to understand what a truly amazing plant this is.

Ive seen these articles as well, but as mentioned......there are ones that state the opposite. So which is it? Honestly ive fallen in love with yerba mate. It is my #1 favorite beverage. It helps me mentally and physically when im running. I recently had a 5k and my 3 gourds of Yerba mate really helped me.

Im not giving up mate, Im already a vegetarian get plenty of sleep and quit smoking a while ago.

What doesn't cause cancer? The way they test this stuff is applying concentrated doses on cells and observing the dna mutations - anything will cause cancer in that type of concentration! Moderation is the key!

I often wonder who funds this research. Follow the money and you find the motivation behind the research. Anymore, various companies and interest groups have their fingers in the pie and the studies aren't unbiased.

Life will kill you. If you really love Yerba Mate, I figure unless there's a conclusive study showing it really does cause cancer, you'll probably still drink it.

There was a quietly published article in the NEJM (New Engl J Medicine) last month that raised a ruckus on Capitol Hill with respect to the FDA. Seems as though certain pharmaceuticals were paying MDs to put their name to ghost written reviews (and maybe drug studies) reporting drug efficacy that served as technical endorsement for certain big name drugs.

Obama and company know that the FDA and it's regulations needs significant overhaul; they've prioritized how they're going to do it...so they say.